Trace-lock.



No. 645,!05. PatentedMar. l3, I900. c. L. KIRKSCEY & F. P. BUWDEN.

TRACE LOCK.

(No Model.)

Erica.

OICERO L. KIRKSOEY AND FOUNTAIN P. BOWVDEN, OF RUSSELLVIL LE, ARKANSAS.

TRACE-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 645,105, dated March 13, 1900.

Application filed December 28, 1899. Serial No. 741,854. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, OICERO L. KIRKSOEY and FOUNTAIN P. BowDnN, citizens of the United States, residing at Russellville, in the county of Pope and State of Arkansas, have invented a new and useful Trace-Lock, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to trace-locks, and has for one object to provide a simple and inexpensive device by means of which a trace may be readily looked upon the end of the singletree or may be quickly detached therefrom by positive means whenit becomes necessary to release the draft-animal, the parts being so related as to obstruct to the minimum extent the surface of the singletree and to afford but slightprotection for contact with adjacent objects.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims, and while we have illustrated a preferred embodiment of our invention in the drawings it will be understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of the trace locking and detaching device embodying our invention applied in the operative position to a singletree, an engaged trace being indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a similar view of a slightly-modified c011- struction wherein only one guide-eye for the shifting-frame is employed.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in both figures of the drawings.

Applied to a singletree 1 and adapted for longitudinal sliding movement with relation thereto is a trace-shifting frame consisting of a loop 2, having one or more guide-eyes fitted upon the singletree, said shifting-frame being connected by a suitable rod 3 with an opcrating-lever 4.. In the construction illustrated in Fig. 1 the trace-shifting frame is provided with outer and inner eyes 5 and 6, constructed of heavy wire or the equivalent thereof and preferably formed integral with the connecting-rod 3 by doubling said wire upon itself to form the inner loop 6, thence extending the wire rearwardly to form. the loop 2, and finally doubling the extremity of the wire-blank upon itself to form the outer eye 5. The operating-lever 4 consists of a spindle portion 7, mounted in suitable bearings 8 upon the singletree, and angularly-disposed arms 9 and 10, projecting from opposite extremities of said spindle in directions approximately parallel with the singletree. Attached to the arm 9 of the lever, which is, essentially, of the bell-crank type, is the rod 3, and disposed in the path of said arm 9 is astop 11, designed, by checking the movement of said arm, to limit the throw of the trace-shifting frame, and thus prevent the inner guideeye 6 of said frame from passing to a point beyond the extremity of the singletree. By this arrangement we are enabled to avoid the use of special guiding devices for the sliding member of the device. The permanent engagement of the inner guide-eye 0 with. the singletree and the attachment of the connecting-rod 3 with the arm 9 of the bell-crankoperating lever serve to maintain the shifting-frame and connected parts in operative relation with the singletree.

The operating-arm 10 of the lever preferablycurves inward or toward the singletree at a point near its extremity to occupy a position above the singletree, whereby the latter constitutes a stop to limit the swinging movement of the lever in the direction opposite to that in which the movement of the lever is checked by the stop 11, and this arrangement of the parts, whereby the singletree forms a stop to check the movement of the lever in one direction, is desirable to prevent the excessive inward shifting of the trace, which is indicated in dotted lines at 12 and is fitted upon the singletree between the arms of the connecting and trace-receiving loop 2. Also to insure the normal.arrangement of the parts with the trace in engagement with the singletree we employ an actuating-spring 13, which in the construction illustrated is coiled upon the spindle portion of the lever, is arranged at oneend in contact with a securing-plate 14, by which the bearings 8 are supported, and is attached at its other end to the arm 10 of the lever to a v esgio exert a pressure toward the singletree, and thus maintain said arm 10 normally in contact with the latter. We have found in practice that a spring disposed as described may be made of sufficient tension to hold the trace-shifting frame in position, and thus maintain the trace in engagement with the singletree without the risk of accidental displacement.

The arm 10 of the operating-lever terminates in an eye 15, to which may be attached an operating-cord 16, extending to within reach of the occupant of the vehicle of which the singletree forms a part, and it is obvious that by straining this cord upward the arm 10 may be raised to cause a movement of the shifting-frame which will detach the trace from the extremity of the singletree, thereby releasing the horse.

It will be seen, furthermore, that while of simple construction the trace-shifting device embodying our invention may be applied to a singletree of any of the ordinary forms now in use and that its parts occupy positions adjacent to the surfaces of the singletree, and hence are not liable to come in contact with adjacent objects.

In Fig. 2 we have shown a slightly-modified construction of the apparatus wherein the outer guide-eye of the trace-shifting frame, which also forms a stop to prevent accidental outward movement of the trace, is omitted, and the loop 2'" has its outer side extended to form a stop-pint, which is adapted to fit in a transverse seat 17, formed in the end of the singletree.

Having described our invention, what we claim is- 1. The combination with a singletree, of'a trace-shifting frame, having an inner guide slidably embracing the singletree, an outer trace-stop, a trace-receiving loop connecting the guide and the stop, and means for reciprocating the frame upon the singletree.

2. The combination with a singletree, of a stop, a trace-receiving loop connecting the guide-eyes, and operating devices for reciprocating the trace-shifting frame longitudinally upon the singletree. 7

3. The combination with a singletree, of a trace-shifting frame mounted to slide longitudinally thereon, a spring actuated bellcrank-operating lever mounted transversely upon the singletree, one arm of the lever extending transversely across one edge of the singletree and also connected to the traceshifting frame, a stop carried by the singletree and arranged in the path of the arm, to check the movement of the lever in one direction, and the opposite arm of the lever being arranged for contact with the singletree to check the movement of the lever in the opposite direction.

4. In a trace-shiftin g device for sin gletrees, a trace-shifting frame, consisting of a substantially U shaped trace-receiving loop, the inner side of which is formed into a guideeye, and the outer side into astop, and a connecting-rod extending outwardly from the guide-eye.

5. In a trace-shiftin g device for singletrees, a trace-shifting frame formed from a single length of wire, and comprising a substantially-straight connectiiignod, one end of which is bent into a laterally-disposed U- shaped trace receiving loop, the opposite sides of the latter being bent into eyes, which are alined longitudinally of the rod.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

OIOERO L. KIRKSOEY. FOUNTAIN P. BOWDEN.

Witnesses:

R. O. BowDEN, J OE O. YOUNG. 

